<p>Hi parents. I recently made a very difficult decision, and I’m looking for a little reassurance. Amherst has been my dream school for a very long time, and I was thrilled to receive my acceptance letter. However, I will be attending Pomona in the fall. Amherst gave me horrible financial aid, about 12,000 less than Pomona. Although logic is telling me I’ve made the best choice for my family, and Pomona is an amazing, prestigious school, and I know I’ll be happy there, I’m having so much trouble saying goodbye to my dream. I find myself still saying “When I’m at Amherst in a few months…” I was hoping you parents could give me a little perspective, and share your stories of the difficult (and often heartbreaking) decisions your kids have made this year or in past years, and how it’s worked out for them (hopefully for ther best). A little reassurance from any parents of Pomona kids would help too! Thanks.</p>
<p>You will have an incredible time at Pomona! That being said, did you contact the Amherst financial aid office and ask if they could reevaluate your request for aid? You could show them Pomona’s and ask them to explain the differences in amounts.</p>
<p>just post pictures of california in January next to picture of Mass in january :)</p>
<p><a href=“http://community.livejournal.com/pomona_college/[/url]”>http://community.livejournal.com/pomona_college/</a></p>
<p>ask teh students</p>
<p>Agree with AnxiousMom - contact Amherst’s finaid office and let them know politely that they are losing you because of Pomona’s offer. Have them go over their package with you to see how they got to their numbers. This is not unusual to ask.</p>
<p>That being said, Pomona is a great school that you will love too.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the kind responses. I e-mailed Amherst’s FinAid office with Pomona’s offer and told them that they were my top choice, but I can;t go because of their award. I’m trying not to get my hopes up that they’ll change my offer; I don’t really know the success rate on that type of thing. I’m doing the old adage and “hoping for the best and preparing for the worst,” even though there really is no “worst” when it comes to Amherst and Pomona, huh? Ah, this is all so nerve-wracking!</p>
<p>$48k can drown a lot of sorrows.</p>
<p>Build a new dream!!!</p>
<p>Alacrity,
If you don’t hear from them by Tuesday, call to follow up. Be polite but assertive. If you don’t get anywhere, ask to speak to the Director of Financial Aid. Also, if you have an adult who is more familiar with the exact finances of your family and speaks well, you may be better off having him/her call. If not, you can do this yourself.</p>
<p>Check with your parent(s) to see if there is anything that was not included on your FAFSA or Profile … i.e. medical expenses, etc. Check both forms to see that they match each other and that no mistakes were made. Have everything in front of you when you call.
Best of luck - you certainly can’t go wrong either way. Let us know how you make out!</p>
<p>Also …
Was Pomona your best finaid offer? If you have others that were higher than Amherst’s as well, have those available to discuss too.</p>
<p>Wow what a great location for a college. Certainly forces are nudging you to Pomona. I would encourage you to embrace the adventure and look forward to an exciting 4 years in College. Congratulations!</p>
<p>Schools do raise offers, when I was a senior I got one of my financial aid packages increased. But it wasn’t on the magnitude you’re talking about, doubt Amherst’s offer will come up 10,000 dollars or more. So figure out what the minimum aid you would need for it to be feasible. And if it doesn’t work out, well at least you tried. I know from experience that it is really hard to let go of your dream school but it works out fine.</p>
<p>Alacrity, TwinMom is right…do NOT rely just on e-mail. Call and speak to a real live human being. And be assertive. You may have some fear-of-rejection responses coming up at the thought of talking to someone “in person.” Drown them. Talking to someone is far more effective than e-mail if you’re on the cusp, with a rapid exchange of information back and forth, being able to zero in on impediments, etc., just based on tone of voice, etc.</p>
<p>Thanks again fro the great responses. First of all, WOW, the legendary TheDad replied to my thread…that’s a huge CC accomplishment. Amherst e-mailed me back this morning, recommending just what y’all did, to speak over the phone. My father called this afternoon, I’m sure he knows the intracacies of our finances far better than I, and in the meantime, I’m looking over the weather reports for California vs. Massachusetts, and so far, so good! Thanks for all of your support, and I’ll certainly keep you posted.</p>